The Windy Staircase

The Orcs of Stonefang Pass [Encounters P1-4]

After leaving the gatehouse the Irregulars resume their long trek through the Stonefang Pass, sloping upward into the heart of the mountain…

… and stumble upon a secret passage, jammed open with the body of a dwarf.

They remove the body and discover that it is not a Glintshield dwarf, but some other clan – with a chain-motif tattooed on his face, neck, and wrists (presumably connected). And through the door they discover…

… a battle zone strewn with more chain-dwarf bodies mixed in with the corpses of several Severed Eye orcs.
They search everyone for loot, alerting the remaining enemy in the next room!

But our heroes make short work of their surprise attack…

And discover a long, winding staircase leading down into the depths of the mountain. This too is covered in blood and battle casualties.

Without pause, our adventurers head down…

Along the way admiring the dwarfish historical relief etched into the walls – telling of battles between the dwarves and the giants that built the pass.

There are a set of panels telling the story of an undefeatable stone titan, first only being able to claim it’s eye…

As, the stairs wind down and down…

… The battle with the titan continues… then his heart is removed, his hand (which matches an artifact they retrieved from the Orcs in the battle at the Gatehouse) and finally his rib…

But our band gets the upper hand once the brute is locked down – only one Orc escapes to the far side of the caves where there seems to be some additional dwarfish construction.

Taking a moment to rest before moving pursuing the escapee, the Irregulars investigate the shrine – they experiment with the rune-circles and find there is magical harmony between the Stone-Hand they have and the yellow circle.
And also, that pit has a transparent, nearly elastic magical covering – it is a magic prison, and it has been weakened! What’s in there? Does it have anything to do with the earthquakes? What about those wall-panels?